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<title>Never Bet Against the House by JupiterMelichios</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142285">Never Bet Against the House</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JupiterMelichios/pseuds/JupiterMelichios'>JupiterMelichios</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>St Trinian's (2007 2009)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Retail, Asexual Polly (St Trinian's), Cute, F/F, Femslash February, Ficlet, Fluff, Getting Together, Minor Andrea/Taylor (St Trinian's), Posh Totty are a band in this universe, Pre-Slash, because why not</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:08:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,093</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JupiterMelichios/pseuds/JupiterMelichios</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The only person who didn’t end up in regular fights with co-workers was Kelly, but that was because Kelly was perfect. Just the most beautiful, intelligent, poised, stylish…</p><p>“Dreaming of me, Fritton?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabelle Fritton/Kelly Jones, Kelly Jones &amp; Polly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Femslash February</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Never Bet Against the House</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Andrea, can you pass me the broom? Hey, Andrea, broom!”</p><p>“Mrfgh.”</p><p>“She says sod off,” Taylor translated. Despite the fact that they hated one another’s guts, Taylor was the only one of them who could consistently understand 9 A.M., Andrea. Based on past performance she wouldn’t be coherent until at least 12, and even that wasn’t guaranteed.</p><p>“I don’t know why you don’t just get a job working nights,” Polly said irritably, leaning across the semi-comatose Taylor to reach the broom. “It’s not like you’re any use to us here.”</p><p>“Bit harsh,” Annabelle said. She hated that she was a peace-maker, but she couldn’t help it. Conflict made her want to crawl into a hole and die. Not for the first time she considered that she might be working entirely the wrong job.</p><p>They were selling shoes for heaven’s sake, and she almost never got put on the tills, conflict shouldn’t even come into it. But Andrea hated Taylor and Taylor hated everyone, Celia only seemed chill until the first time she saw you using a plastic straw, and Polly thought everyone except her was an idiot, and Annabelle had an amazing ability to say completely the wrong thing at the wrong time.</p><p>The only person who didn’t end up in regular fights with co-workers was Kelly, but that was because Kelly was perfect. Just the most beautiful, intelligent, poised, stylish…</p><p>“Dreaming of me, Fritton?”</p><p>“No! I mean… I… Hi, Kell.”</p><p>That smile ought to be illegal. “Hi yourself, Annie. New top?”</p><p>“Oh, um, yeah.” Peaches had told her it would look ‘absolutely yummy’ on her, and she’d let herself be persuaded, even though it wasn’t at all her usual style. She’d never thought there was any point in wearing shirts designed to show off her tits when she looked like what her grandmother had once described as ‘two peas on an ironing board’, but Peaches had a way of very gently steamrollering you that made it almost impossible to disagree with her. At least if you were Annabelle.</p><p>“Suits you.”</p><p>“You too! I mean…” God, how was she such a moron! “Fuck, can I start over?”</p><p>“This day or this conversation?”</p><p>“Both?”</p><p>When she really smiled, Kelly’s cheeks dimpled, and Annabelle wanted to kiss her even more than she usually did. “Well I don’t have a time machine, but I do have the next best thing.” She held out the cardboard tray of Starbucks cups she was holding. “Caramel macchiato.”</p><p>“Oh my God I fuckin’ love you,” Taylor exclaimed, pushing past Annabelle to get her own coffee. “Which one’s for Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s shop assistant?”</p><p>“Good one. Here, eight shots of espresso and three inches of whipped cream.”</p><p>“I’m not just a pretty face, you know.”</p><p>“You’re not even a pretty face,” Polly muttered, reaching to take her own coffee. “Celia’s in the back doing stock, I’ll take hers through to her.”</p><p>Which just left two cups. “Which one…”</p><p>“Here.” Kelly pulled out one of the cups and held it out to her.</p><p>When Annabelle took it, their fingers brushed, only for a moment but Annabelle would swear her heart actually skipped a beat.</p><p>She took a sip of her macchiato to try and disguise her own awkwardness, and then had to bite back a squeak of pain when the hot coffee scalded her tongue. “Ah! Ah, hot, hot!”</p><p>“I know you are but what am I?”</p><p>“A child!” Polly yelled from the stock-room door. “Ask her or I will!”</p><p>“What does she…”</p><p>Kelly rolled her eyes. “She’s just being her usual tactful self. Honestly, she keeps me up half the night and she can’t even be nice to me the next day.”</p><p>“Up… Oh.” She’d known they were close she hadn’t thought… But it made sense, really, Kelly was gorgeous, Polly was gorgeous (even if she did dress like she was trying to hide it), they’d known each other forever, of course they’d be…</p><p>“Not like that, silly. She’s like my sister, and even if she wasn’t, she’s ace and I’m really not, it would never work.”</p><p>Annabelle could feel the blush, rising inexorably up her face. Kelly talking about sex was definitely not something she was prepared to deal with at work, especially not so soon after waking up. “Um. She said you wanted to ask me something?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah.” Kelly took a swig of her coffee, and if it was anyone else, Annabelle would have said she was nervous, but that was ridiculous. Kelly Jones had never been nervous a day in her entire life. “You know Posh Totty is playing a gig tonight. I, ah, I was wondering if you’d like to go?”</p><p>“With you?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Just you, I mean. Not, you know, everyone.”</p><p>“Just us,” Kelly confirmed.</p><p>“Like a date?” She sounded like an idiot, she knew she did, but she had to be sure.</p><p>“Exactly like.”</p><p>“Oh wow. Uh, yeah, yes, I love to!”</p><p>“Okay awesome. Awesome!”</p><p>For a long minute they just stood there and grinned at one another, and they probably looked demented but Annabelle didn’t even care. Kelly Jones, the Kelly Jones, had just asked her on a date. The sky could fall in for all she cared (although if it did she wouldn’t get to actually go on the date, so maybe not).</p><p>“Did you ask her yet?” Polly called, and Annabelle actually looked away from Kelly long enough to see her emerging from the back of the shop, followed by Celia.</p><p>Kelly flipped Polly off without looking, and Polly gave her the smuggest smile Annabelle had ever seen. “Alright people, pay up!”</p><p>Grumbling, Taylor, Andrea, and Celia all pulled out purses and wallets.</p><p>“You were betting on us?”</p><p>“Don’t be stupid,” Andrea said, sounding surprisingly awake. “We were betting against you. I was sure it was going to take you another year.”</p><p>“So did I,” Polly said. “That’s why sacrificed my plans to finally beat my Dark Souls speedrun time to listen to Kelly wax lyrical for eight hours.”</p><p>“That’s cheating,” Taylor protested.</p><p>“I never said we weren’t allowed to cheat,” Polly said reasonably. “You should know by now, never bet against the bank. Kelly?”</p><p>“You’re my most evil friend, you know that?” Kelly asked, putting a twenty out of the pocket of her jeans and dropping it into Polly’s outstretched hand.</p><p>Annabelle would have been annoyed that Kelly had been betting against them as well, except… “You gave me 6 to 1, Pol, what does that work out as? I can’t do the maths in my head.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments are love</p></blockquote></div></div>
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